Astros ship Jarred Cosart to Marlins in 6-player deal

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The package the Astros received for Jarred Cosart and Kiké Hernandez could be a tremendous boon down the road. But Thursday’s six-player deal with the Marlins was also a reminder that, in a season where improvement in the big leagues is both needed and promised, the Astros are still willing to sacrifice wins for a potential benefit of the future.

It’s highly unlikely that the acquisition of outfielder Jake Marisnick, a 2009 third-round draft pick, will outweigh the lost contributions of Cosart and Hernandez. He is the only player of three the Astros received who can step into the big leagues immediately.

Marisnick, 23, is expected to play center field on Friday at Minute Maid Park and aid an outfield that at this point needs warm bodies because of injuries. A terrific defender, Marisnick struggled at the plate in his short time in the majors in the last two years, batting .178 in just 54 games.

The greatest allure for the Astros, however, may lie with 21-year-old third baseman Colin Moran, the sixth overall pick in the 2013 draft out of the University of North Carolina. A lefthanded hitter, Moran is set to join last year’s first overall pick, Mark Appel, at Class AA Corpus Christi on Friday.

Rounding out the return for the Astros: teenage righthander Frances Martes, a raw power pitcher in rookie ball, plus a valuable 2015 draft pick that falls just after the first round.

Astros Class AAA Oklahoma City outfielder Austin Wates, 25, was also sent to the Marlins.

Jarred Cosart says good-bye to all his teammates on the field after he was traded moments before at Minute Maid Park. (Karen warren/Houston chronicle)

It may only be a small handful of wins the Astros gave up Thursday, but the team would look better in two months if it finishes closer to 70 wins as opposed to 60. The Astros are banking, perhaps properly, that no one will care in a couple years if this deal works out as it could — which is not a guarantee.

“I’ll speak from my standpoint,” manager Bo Porter said when asked about the message the trade sent his club. “When you make a trade, you have to, one, say to yourself, you’re doing something that’s better for the team today, with a watchful eye on tomorrow. The players that we’re getting in return, obviously I don’t have history with them. I don’t know them from a standpoint of what it is that they’re going to bring to our team. I’m excited to see the young man (Marisnick) that will show up here tomorrow.

“The two younger players, obviously I have no history with them. So it remains to be seen what it is they’re going to bring to the organization as time moves on.”

General manager Jeff Luhnow said the deal was completed in the final minute leading up to the 3 p.m. CT deadline, giving the Astros a slice of the news cycle on a day that saw blockbusters from start to finish: the Red Sox traded Jon Lester to the Oakland Athletics on Thursday morning, before the Tampa Bay Rays traded another lefty ace, David Price, to the Detroit Tigers a few minutes ahead of the deadline.

Cosart, Marisnick and Moran were principals throughout, with the Marlins asking for the 22-year-old Hernandez later in the process and leading the Astros to some soul-searching. Martes was a last hurdle, according to people familiar with the trade.

“We were in a unique position where we didn’t have to do anything,” Luhnow said. “Jarred Cosart has a big market value; it would have been big in the offseason. There was no need to trade him today. So we could sit back and kind of hold firm on our asking price, and that’s basically what we did.”

Although the Astros received plenty of calls on lefty Dallas Keuchel, Luhnow said he has become the club’s ace and that he was not willing to move him.

Cosart, however, was viewed as expendable. The 24-year-old’s stuff is tantalizing, but his strikeout rate never matched his mid-90′s velocity. He may be a pitcher that someday ends up in the bullpen, but he also, at such a young age, could still become a true top-of-the-rotation pitcher as he gains maturity. Luhnow alluded to that possibility in spring training, when he said Cosart could win 15 games.

Cosart, too, is already an established big leaguer. No one else in this trade qualifies.

“I think he will be a 15-game-plus winner pretty consistently,” Luhnow said Thursday. “I mean, we knew we were giving up value for sure. So, you know, to get the package that we got, we had to give up something. … This deal does not in any way suggest that we didn’t have confidence in Jarred Cosart.”

Starting pitching was one of the Astros’ strengths, and now Brad Peacock will have a chance to re-enter the rotation in Cosart’s place. Luhnow said he understands that with just an injury or two, the depth the Astros currently have in the rotation could quickly disappear.

But for Luhnow, a chance to acquire another top pick from the 2013 draft was huge.

“If you had asked me, ‘How would you like to have Appel and Moran?’ I would have thought there’s no way to possibly pull that off,” Luhnow said.

The Astros are very excited about Martes, too, although he’s very far away from the big leagues.

Unlike last year, Luhnow did not alter his bullpen at the deadline. Chad Qualls, Tony Sipp and Josh Fields all could have been moved, and presumably had another club been willing to pay a high premium, would have been. But trading Jose Veras last season didn’t leave the bullpen in good shape, influencing this year’s mindset.

“Sends a good message,” Sipp said of a status quo bullpen. “‘Cause obviously, we weren’t untouchable, and they didn’t touch us. You know, I had a talk with a few guys (in Astros management) and they were saying they like what they had with our bullpen, and it would take something overwhelming to get rid of us. We got a good group here. There are always questions with every team about the bullpen, what are you going to do with the bullpen? And you know, I think with us, we have a good thing going.”

Statistically on the season, the Astros still have the worst bullpen ERA anywhere, at 5.05 entering play Thursday, although the bright spots are clear to see. The starters have been better with a 4.15 ERA.

Collin McHugh was Cosart’s roommate. If the bullpen was sent a positive message, what sense did the other starting pitchers get from Thursday’s deal?

“I don’t think there was a specific message,” McHugh said. “I think baseball as a business is something we don’t get the full scope of ever as a player. So you can prognosticate and think what you want about it and make assumptions about it, but to me I’m sure they (the Astros) have a reason. I’m sure the Marlins have a reason.

“I don’t think (the rotation was in any way dismantled). I think it’s good for Cozy, I think it’s good for the guys who are going to get a chance to play for a contender.”